Academic Progress and Development Review (PDR) Overview

Purpose and Benefits of Academic PDR

The purpose of the PDR is to provide a supportive and developmental opportunity for every Academic member of staff (the ‘Reviewee’). The scope of discussion includes current and future work, career aims, citizenship contributions to the College, and the identification of support required in the course of their work. Ultimately, however, the discussion content will vary depending on an individual’s career stage. The provision of this opportunity to for each Academic member of staff to discuss issues of importance to themselves is a key benefit of this scheme.

The PDR is part of the ongoing dialogue between the Academic member of staff and the Assistant Dean* (or nominee), the ‘Reviewer’.

The PDR is only applicable to Academic staff who are confirmed in post, and a complementary system operates to support probationary Academic staff.

Equality of Opportunity and Fairness

The College aims to ensure consistency in quality and fairness of the PDR process by offering the opportunity for such discussion to all staff, by expecting all Reviewers to attend appropriate training, and by also offering training to PDR Reviewees.

All Reviewers are expected to be familiar with the institutional resources and sources of information available to support Academic staff in their work, including training and development funding available, mentoring opportunities, promotion requirements, etc.

Process Documentation

A PDR document is provided as guidance to the PDR discussion, on which specific notes of support, development or other resources agreed during discussion are written by the Reviewer, along with any general notes either party wishes to record. Both parties sign this document as a record.

The Executive Dean is required to countersign all PDR documents in accordance with College equal opportunities and diversity policy, and in order to identify any School-level (not ‘individual’) trends in requested support, development or other resources that may need to be addressed (e.g. a 60% rate of request for additional research time may highlight systemic issues).

PDR documentation is confidential and will be subject to protection in accordance with other personal data held by the College.

Process Review

Operation of and participation in the PDR process will be reviewed annually to ensure that all staff are afforded the opportunity to have such a discussion with their Reviewer, and that the mechanics of the procedure are fit for purpose.

The PDR process will also be audited during School and institutional audits.